


Dunder and Blixem

by ishtarelisheba



Series: Better to Face the Bullets 'verse [25]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Christmas fic, F/M, because it's a quick one-shot, mention of many and small cameos by a few
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:48:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28322616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ishtarelisheba/pseuds/ishtarelisheba
Summary: The Gold family and friends, gathered together in comfortable chaos for Christmas 1938. A BtFtB one-shot.
Relationships: Baelfire | Neal Cassidy/Emma Swan, Belle/Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold, RumBelle, Swanfire
Series: Better to Face the Bullets 'verse [25]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/344582
Comments: 10
Kudos: 20





	Dunder and Blixem

Gideon lorded over the proceedings, playing Father Christmas by virtue of being the youngest there who was able, handing out presents to everyone from under the rather colossal Christmas tree. In all its glory, it dominated the family sitting room with baubles, garlands, tinsel, and beads. Enough light strings wrapped around the piney beast to successfully guide in an aeroplane.

There were certainly more presents there than any year before. Gideon had a task cut out for him. Though, this year, they had a larger company of guests than any previous year, as well. It was such a far cry from the small Christmases they’d started out with in their house. There were fifteen of them in all there for the day, with a handful more promised later in the evening. 

The children still at home were there, of course. Rosalind, Gwendolen, and Gideon. Neal was there with Emma and their three-year-old, Henry, who had taken up residence on Rummond’s lap, as was the lad’s destination every visit. Wee Henry was enamoured of his Granda and Nanna, much to the other set of grandparents’ envy. Emma’s parents accepted an invitation, and her younger brother, Otto, just a few years older than Gideon, sat making puppy eyes at Gwenny. 

Jefferson and Alice sat on the other end of the large settee where Belle sat beside Rummond, who had insisted that Grace come along. Yes, yes, her roommate, as well, and Belle threatened the wellbeing of anyone who uttered the word ‘spinster’ in their presence. Recently, Grace had taken up with Merry DunBroch, a tomboyish young woman with masses of curly red hair. Miss DunBroch came along with a heavy Doric accent that had most of them smiling and nodding through small talk, but that tickled Rummond to no end.

Dr. Hopper, Graham, Mal, and Jasper were having a Christmas gathering with a few friends of their own, but they’d promised to come by after, if it was all right that they were quite late. Belle had assured them that it was. She expected they would be up half the night, anyway, with all the sweets the children were devouring. 

And not only the children. Merry took a third helping of rich chocolate cream tart. “Ohh, it’s fit rare, Mrs. Gold!” she praised with a dreamy gaze at her plate.

Looking up from discussing the finer points of keeping one’s shoes on with Henry, Belle said, “Thank you, dear, but it’s Mrs. Potts you need to compliment. She’s made everything.”

Belle demanded only one thing of her guests. No talk of war. Not today.

They were all quite aware that something was very likely on the way. Terrible things were happening in Germany, more terrible by the day, turning into downright horrors just the past month. Everyone there understood that this might be the last normal Christmas they would have for a long while. They’d decided to make it the very definition of merry and bright.

“This one’s for Miss Grace,” Gideon called out, walking over to her on his knees, then continued to the settee. “And this one’s yours, Papa.”

“Thank you, Gid,” Rummond said, and he handed Henry - in the middle of pulling open his shoe lacing - over to Belle so that he could accept the small package. He examined the tag before asking his wife, “Who is this from?”

She made a show of craning her neck to look. “It _says_ it’s from Father Christmas, Rum.”

“Aye, I can see that.” He looked at her for a moment as though she might give him some hint, but she only looked back at him.

Rummond carefully opened up the white paper with a print of old fashioned woodcuts of Christmas scenes in red on it. Beneath was a large, black leather watch box. Slipping open the strap that held it shut, he found a skeleton wristwatch, its inner workings displayed through glass front and back. There were no numbers or markings to create a watch face, making it more of a beautiful curiosity than anything else. And it _was_ beautiful.

“Belle…” He turned to her, unable to find more words.

She smiled, her eyes on him while her hands kept Henry from wriggling down off her lap, his attention suddenly on Otto’s shiny red fire engine. “Father Christmas chose well?”

“So well, love.” Shaking his head in wonder, he leaned to give her a great, smacking kiss that earned a giggle from their daughters.

Gideon, on the other hand, paused with an unimpressed expression. “Ick,” he whispered before holding out the present he brought over. “Mama, this is for you.”

Belle grinned at him, telling him with an overabundance of sweetness, “Thank you, Gideon.”

She checked the tag and pressed her lips together, sending her husband an amused look. Rosalind stepped over, taking Henry so that her mother could open the present. 

“That Father Christmas, he certainly gets around,” Belle said, tearing into the ribbon and wrapping. 

Rummond, threading the brown leather watch strap through its buckle, smirked without looking up. “Well, after all, he does have a reputation for it.”

Across the room, Emma exclaimed with a word that made her mother chide her. She stood, dropping the box from her lap, and shook open a shearling collar flight jacket - a gift from Belle and Rummond. Running over, she hugged one of them and then the other before Belle had gotten her present opened. Emma was already putting the jacket on as she went back to her spot next to her husband.

Belle pried open pieces of tape holding the top of the box together. Eventually, she managed to pull a framed photograph from masses of crepe paper. She gasped when she had a look. There, appearing perfectly preserved, was a photograph of herself as a little girl with her mother. 

“Oh, Rum! Where did you find it?” she asked, tearing up immediately.

He stroked a tear away from her cheek and slipped an arm around her. Keeping up the ‘Father Christmas’ pretense seemed too fanciful, with the way she reacted to her present.

“I had Horatio bring boxes of old papers from your father’s things in storage down to the shop,” Rummond admitted. “I had an idea there might be some off chance it got in with paperwork.”

“I remember this,” Belle said, touching the glass over her mother’s face. “This moment. I remember.”

Leaning in under Rummond’s arm, she kissed him again. Even in the middle of the now quite familiar family chaos, there was something private and warm to be found in his embrace. Belle kissed him twice more. Never enough.

**Author's Note:**

> Visual aids:  
> [wrapping paper](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b2/47/86/b2478663dd1423e9dfeec2eb9c039b6a.jpg)  
> skeleton watch ([front](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/38/f0/95/38f0954d6cba0d92761bfad22cc571a7.jpg)) ([back](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/e6/25/43/e62543a7230a6d0162b50214b5e11949.jpg))
> 
> (Takes place Christmas 1938.)


End file.
